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“That’s a gorgeous car. It’s absolutely stunning. It’s not a Jaguar, though. It’s a BMW. BMWs are gorgeous cars. Jaguars are not. But that car is gorgeous.”

Those are the words of my wife upon seeing the first image of the new Jaguar XE. I guess it’s been a while since she’s seen a Jaguar.

We owned a Jaguar X-Type, which we thoroughly enjoyed until the engine stopped working. The XE replaces the X-Type and obviously has an entirely different look than the old quad-headlight classic Jags—a look that, apparently, was inspired by German designers.

BMW and Jaguar might have similar looks, but what BMW doesn’t have in its 3 Series is 75 miles per gallon.

I gave the car two chances. I bought the first one brand new after negotiating a killer deal, then sold it two years later when I noticed the devastating effects of rapid depreciation along with a host of technical issues.

A few years later I found the same make, model and trim level on a used car lot, and fell into temptation and bought it again.

I shouldn’t have, because the same issues began to surface.

The lack of power. The strange amount of effort it took to put the car in reverse. The power windows sporadically not working. Then, after a couple years of driving, the refusal of the engine to rev past 3,000 rpm.

Is it possible to mention the Buick Grand National without also mentioning Lord Vader, as made famous by Motor Trend in the mid-1980s? No, no it isn’t. So, I thought I’d get the reference out of the way so we can focus on the importance of some exciting news:

The Grand National, GNX and T-Type will reportedly come back into Buick’s stable after nearly three decades of absence.

If you’re like me, one of your first thoughts upon hearing this news is wondering if GM will simply offer a blacked-out Regal with the GNX nameplate, hope to attract some sentimental fans from the 1980s and call it good. However, this looks like the real deal, complete with a new RWD platform from the hot-selling Cadillac ATS and power that could reach, or even exceed, 400 hp.